The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-01-06
TRICKS OF A VILE TRADE.

How Several OF the I" Pure Liquors "
Palmed on Upon the Unfortunate Drlnk-
or Arc Manufactured.
A trade circular, issued by Mr.. John
d. Hounihan, of Buffalo, N. Y, lately
came into the Cincinnati Enquirer's
hands. 1t is not exactly adapted for
general circulation, and belongs to that
class of literature which the recipients
are supposed to keep under lock and
key, because Mr.. Hounihan assumes
that he is addressing liquor dealers
alone, and hence makes no bones Of
mentioning the passwords. signs, grips
and secret work generally of the SAM
ple-room brotherhood. He says:
~ have written book on the pro-
cess of making whisky, brandy, gin,
ale, porter, lager beer, and every thing
pertaining to the business. The recipes
are SO simple that boy ten years old
can make in your cellar or back room
twenty gallons Of Bourbon whisky in
side of an hour, and you may place it
side by side with the genuine, and you
can not tell the difference by look or
taste. My directions for initiating
Bourbon whisky, Irish whisky and
French brandy are the best in exist
ence. You may put my limitations and
the genuine side by side and the best
Judge will pronounce them the same.
Besides, they can be made to present
the appearance of being twenty years
old. 1t is fact known to great
many liquor dealers that half of the
whisky now sold in this country never
passed through still, for it is nearly all
adulterated more or less. As reference l
could mention many of the first hotel
bars of Maryland and Pennsylvania now
using my book as guide; but consid-
ering the nature Of the book, will not
mention names"
This precious book is not a bad-look-
ing little volume, and talks out in meet
ing on the title page in this style: ''Thc
secret process of manufacturing whisky,
brandy, rum, gin, bitters, wine, cham
pagne, lager, ale, pop, cider, spruce
beer, ETC., in the cheapest way, with
out the use of the still. How to doctor
poor liquors; how to double your pro-
fits by thinning down without dis
covery; how to initiate, etc.
Among about 100 recipes, it gives
seven for making champagne. one 70,
making cider without apples, one fol
making beer without malt or hops, and
one for making old barrels out of new
ones. As old whisky barrels are more
valuable than those that come from the
cooper's hands, some enterprising citi.
zen may like to go into the business oi
instantly metamorphosing young and
and lusty casks into hoary patriarchs
To do this dissolve in three gallons Of
water three pounds of sulphuric acid
and one pound of sulphate of iron
Wash your barrels with this mixture or
the outside, and in few hours they
will be as rusty and venerable as though
they had lain in warehouse for forty
years.
But Mr.. Hounihan, Of Buffalo, by nc
means has a monopoly of this branch
of instruction in the higher walks OF
the spirit business. Alexander Fries &
Brother, Nos. 46, 48 and so East Sec
ond street, in this city, issue bool
made up solely of recipes and pric.
lists for manufacturing every thing il
the liquor line from chemicals and ,
barrel of proof spirits. In the follow
ing guarded sentence they explain tn,
value of this method of spirit manu-
facture:
parties not wishing to keep larg,
stock of liquor on hand will find it t.
their interest to lay in an assortment
of the oils and essences which will en-
able them to fill large orders at tn,
shortest notice."
For instance, an order comes ovel
the wires to the wide-awake merchan
for forty gallons of port wine, to b.
shipped by the 6:2O p. m. express. Be
ing one Of those parties who do not de
sire to keep q large stock of liquor OF
hand, the merchant walks into hi
back room, closes the door and manu-
factures the port wine with neatnes
and dispatch.-St. L0uss Globe-D Demo
crGt.